Our Opinion: Progress

Rickards, Godby lead in graduation rate jump

While politicians and policymakers continue to work out a blueprint for guiding Florida's education future, it seems that progress already is being made on graduation rates.

A release Wednesday from the Florida Department of Education shows marked improvement overall in graduation rates of students who were tracked statewide since enrolling the ninth grade.

This news comes at a time when district administrators and the Department of Education are still at odds over evaluation methods for classroom teachers, with district superintendents across the state expressing concerns about the new standards. Also clouding Florida's education picture is the adoption of the new Common Core standards, testing students and measuring their academic progress.

So, the news from the DOE on surface is welcome. But the teachers evaluation process and the transition to new educational standards still must be addressed in the midst of political pressure on all sides.

The good news from DOE is that Florida's graduation rates for the past school year increased 5 percentage points from the previous year, based on federal reporting standards.

Florida's overall graduation rate for 2012-13 was 75.6 percent, which continues a steady improvement since the 2006-07 school year.

Graduation rates for black students increased to 64.6 percent, compared with 58.6 percent two years ago.

But the graduation rates for black and Hispanic students still lag behind those of white and Asian students.

Locally, Leon County students increased graduation rates from 71.3 percent to 77 percent for 2012-13. Rickards and Godby showed the greatest gains in graduation rates, improving by 21 percent and 16 percent, respectively.

Leon County reduced its dropout rate by 0.2 percentage points, to 0.7 percent.

While the statewide graduation rates show a steady increase, state and district officials also should take note that some regional districts in the state, such as Gadsden and Jefferson counties, continue to struggle with keeping students on track beginning in the ninth grade.

Gadsden County's graduation rate dropped to 58.3 percent from 61.4 percent, and Jefferson County dropped from 42.6 percent to 35.1 percent for the 2012-13 school year.

In many cases, it will be important to incorporate more trade programs and certificate-based programs in school districts and to provide funding for programs providing students with skills to enter the job market out of high school.

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Our Opinion: Progress

While politicians and policymakers continue to work out a blueprint for guiding Florida's education future, it seems that progress already is being made on graduation rates.